Crimson Dawn
by Saiba-of-the-IceWings
Summary: Dragons come in many colors... war comes in only one. (Story takes place post-2nd arc. Most of the characters in the story and the continent of Ontegal belong to me, but Pyrrhia and WoF belong to their creator, Tui the Great.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, what's up! Saiba here, and yes… I SEEM TO HAVE RISEN FROM THE DEAD! Haha, no not really, I actually wasn't dead before, just… lazy. Really, REALLY lazy. I'm sorry for the long wait, I kinda abandoned some of my other stories due to lack of motivation, but it will be different this time. I PROMISE I WILL FINISH THIS ONE. It includes one of my OC's, Kauwari, as the main character, since I really wanted to give him a good backstory. I actually have a design of him you can look at on my DeviantArt account, which is also called Kauwari, so yeah! Feel free to do that, as it will probably help significantly with understanding his appearance. As you may have guessed already, he's not from the regular 7 (I think that's right) tribes. Spooky, right? You'll get an explanation on that later. So, without further ado, here you go!**

 _Mother?_

"Help! We need help over here!"

"Jeez, he's thrashing like crazy! Somebody grab his wings!"

All I could remember was the searing heat of the sun, beating down on me. And the ocean… that vast expanse, with water going on forever in every direction. Where was mother? Where was father, brother and sister? Had they left too?

 _Oh, my little rainbow. Where are you?_

I could hear mother's voice in the back of my mind, calling to me. But she wasn't there. Every time I looked around, she wasn't there. Just these strange beasts, trying to hold me down.

"Wha-? What's going on? What is _that_?"

"I don't know, I heard a noise in library, and when I went to go check, well…"

"It doesn't matter! Get Tsunami, and the Rainwings too! I'll handle this!"

I didn't recognize them. These creatures looked vaguely like me, but… different. What are they trying to do? Hold me down? What have I done? What are _they_ going to do?

Kill me. Yes, that's it. They must be here to kill me.

I have to get out of here.

"Mother, where are you?!"

I felt a new set of talons on my back. Unlike the others, however, they weren't frantic or shaking… instead, they felt calm. Like they had dealt with this before.

"Stay down, dragon!"

I stopped struggling, if only out of curiosity. Was this beast different? Its voice sounded feminine, soft and smooth like silk. The calm aura seemed to flow down onto me, drowning me in warmth.

 _You have to get out of here, little one. It's not safe, they're coming!_

As I stopped resisting, so too did the beast above me. What did it want? It must not have been here to hurt me, or it would have done that already.

I turned to look.

 _Mother? Is that you?_

 _No. It can't be._

The beast stared down at me. Its eyes, icy blue, filled with fury, like a roiling storm. I could see it now. Its emotions engulfed me, seeping into every crack, every opening. They invaded me, overpowering my thoughts. I could feel it. The hatred. The savagery. The… _sadness._

No. Is this what these beasts were like? I didn't want to be like this. I didn't want to feel the way… it, did.

A burst of strength surged through me. I jerked around suddenly, and the beast, startled, lost its grip.

"H-hey! Get back here!"

I didn't listen, though. My joints were sore, my whole body ached, but I kept running. I flew across the ground, claws catching the stone below and powering me ahead. I could hear the scrabbling of talons behind me. They were coming.

 _I have to get to mother. I don't want to be like them._

My hope grew. I could see light ahead. Even in the disarray that my mind was in, I could still see. Be it blurry or clear, I could see it. Light. _Light._

All of a sudden, I was in open air. I stood on an unfamiliar surface, feeling the wind rush over my scales. Noise assaulted my ears. My bloodshot eyes struggled to see anything. Yellow, Red, Blue, Green, Purple… color was everywhere.

But the light. The light.

It was everywhere. It illuminated my surroundings, and warmed my body. I looked up. It was the sun. I had never felt so happy to see the sun. The golden orb hung in the sky, shining with the brightness of my mother's face. I felt happy.

"Now!"

 _Thunk._

A sharp pain in my back right leg. Immediately, the world was fading away again.

 _No. No no no. No no no no no!_

I swayed around drowsily. No, I didn't want it to go yet! I was so close!

 _Mother! Are you there?!_

The sun continued to smile down at me. With each passing second, the light turned to dark. I found myself on my stomach, unable to stand.

 _No…_

I strained my neck to see. Suddenly, I found myself looking into a familiar face.

 _Mother?_

She frowned.

"It is ok, little rainbow. I have to leave now. I'm sorry. I will be back soon."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, it's me again! So here is the second chapter. I will be explaining in this one where Kauwari comes from, and what he is, exactly. I don't own WOF, but if I did, you can be assured that any kid who asks will be given a free copy of the whole series! Adios!**

"Oh, hey, you're awake."

Kauwari jumped in surprise as a strange voice greeted him. His eyes shot open, darting around the room, only to come to a rest on a small dragon with sky-blue scales and a thin build. She had a calm, slightly amused smile on her face, and was eyeing him intently.

Kauwari calmed when he realized she had no intention of hurting him. He flopped back down onto the stone bed, sighing in exhaustion. "Where am I?"

"At Jade Mountain Academy."

He stared at her for a second, raising an eye-ridge in confusion. "And that is where…?"

The dragon chuckled, shaking her head. "You're not from around here, are you?"

He nodded slowly, inspecting the cloth bandage wrapped around his back leg. "Well, since you don't know, you're in Pyrrhia, at Jade Mountain Academy. It was founded by the Dragonets of Destiny, and it's a school for young dragons." She then gestured to herself. "My name's Jasmine. I'm a Rainwing."

 _A species of dragon I've never seen, huh? This is interesting._ "A Rainwing?" He inquired.

"Yeah, you know, a Rainwing! We live in the jungle, have the ability to shift the colors of our scales, and could melt off your face if I wanted to…" She gave him an awkward smile. "That's not why I'm here, though."

Kauwari narrowed his eyes, and started to get up. "Look, I don't know who you are or where I am, and I really don't care, either. But I have somewhere to be, so if you could just-" She suddenly jumped in front of him, blocking his path. "W-what do you think you're doing?!" "I could ask the same of you, you know!" He was surprised to hear her voice so stern. "We don't just let any dragon waltz in and make a mess of our library, especially one that looks as weird as you. Now sit down, you've got some explaining to do!"

Kauwari gritted his teeth. Here he was, on an urgent mission, and yet he couldn't do anything because this female dragon wouldn't let him out the door. He didn't even know her!

 _Should I use my abilities?_ He thought. _No. No, that's a dumb idea. I don't even know where this 'Pyrrhia' place is, much less what it's like._

"Alright, alright, I'll tell." He could feel her smirk in victory.

"My name's Kauwari, and I'm a Chromawing. I live in a place called Ontegal."

"Where's Ontegal?"

He sighed in exasperation. "It's across the ocean."

"Across the oc- you mean you _flew_ here?!" Her face turned to one of shock, purple and orange spreading through her scales.

"Yeah. I didn't have a choice, though. You see, there's a civil war going on in Ontegal right now." He paused. "My home, Armea, was overrun and my parents were killed."

"I'm sorry." Jasmine said, a sympathetic expression on her face. "Don't be, there's nothing left for me there anyway." The ebony dragon muttered bitterly. "But that must have been why you were acting so weird. You were so skinny, you must've not eaten or drank anything in days." Kauwari nodded. "That reminds me, how long was I out?" "About a week."

His eyes widened. _A week?!_ "Wow, you look like you've seen a ghost." "The dragons that raided my home! They could still be- where's my bag?!" He whirled his head around franctically, searching the room. "Oh yeah, that. Jeez, don't freak out, its right here." She walked over to some shelves carved into the cave wall and picked up a brown leather bag. He swiped it out of her claws, inspecting it carefully. "You should be more careful with this, you know! My mother gave it to me!" He slung the bag over his neck. Jasmine made a mock-offended sound. "Well I'm sor-ry mister high-and-mighty! How were we supposed to know?" He puffed his chest out, looking regal. "Well, I- ugh, I don't know! Just let me out of here!" She grabbed his shoulder as he walked out. "What?!" "Just one more thing before you go." She grabbed his arm and tugged him out. _At least I get to get out of that stupid infirmary._ He thought.

"There's some other dragons I want you to meet."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I don't really wanna waste any time ranting, so here is chapter number 3. I don't own WOF, which you guys already knew, so yeah. Enjoy!**

Kauwari was a little stunned at the sheer size of the mountain in which the school was built. A huge cavern, which was open to the air at the front, served as the lobby. The ceiling soared above him, bundles of creamy white, glowing globes illuminating the space. And then there were the dragons.

So. Many. _Dragons._

"Just ignore them," Jasmine said as she muscled past a Skywing. _It's a little difficult to do that when they're all staring, you know,_ Kauwari thought. In truth, he hated the feeling. Everywhere he turned, dragonets stood with their jaws hanging open, looking at him like he just came back from the dead. It made his scales crawl.

"Who is _that_?"

"Is he even a _dragon_?"

"I've seen strange, but _nothing_ like _this_."

He shuffled awkwardly away from another dragonet giving him 'the look'. "Can't you walk any faster?" Jasmine groaned. "I know, I know, I'm sorry you have to go through this. And no, I can't. You're just gonna have to tough it out."

Eventually, the commotion drowned out as they slipped down a hallway. "Ah, this is so much better." He mumbled, heaving a sigh. "So, who are these dragons you want me to meet?" "They're my clawmates," Jasmine replied cheerfully. "They're in my winglet with me." He tilted his head. "What's a winglet?" "It's like a study group. Here, we have classes daily, and they are all the dragons I study and live with. It's supposed to help integrate the tribes, and teach future generations how to work with each other. At least, that's the way the Dragonets of Destiny wanted it to be." "What do you mean?" "Well, see, things weren't always so smooth." She rolled her eyes, turning right and continuing down another tunnel. "Hell, the first year, there was a bombing by one of the students which ended with two dragons dying. Seemed at that moment that the school was doomed. But as you can see, thankfully, that didn't happen."

 _Wow, really? A bombing? But these dragons don't look like they would be capable of killing anyone._

 _Maybe they aren't as nice as I thought,_ Kauwari mused.

"Ah, here we are. Kauwari, I'd like you to meet my clawmates."

The cave was fairly large, with a small window on the opposite side. Inside, a small group of dragons sat painting, drawing, reading, or just generally meddling in their own business.

Just as Kauwari expected, they all immediately stopped and stared, mouths wide open.

A voice came echoing out of one of the halls connected to the room. "Oh, Jasmine, you're back! When I heard you went to see that crazy dragon that wrecked the library, I'd thought you'd lost your-" The dragon froze as she walked in. "Um, Jasmine, w-who's that?"

"The dragon who wrecked the library." She smirked, beckoning to Kauwari. "Everyone, this is Kauwari. Kauwari, this is the rest of my winglet. The blue dragon's name is Lagoon, the red one's Peregrine, the tan one's Clovis, the grayish-brown one's Shale, the purple one's Blackfang, and grumpy white one's Gale."

The blue one, Lagoon, paced over to him. "N-nice to me you." She extended her claws to him, albeit with much hesitation. "I-it's nice to meet you, too." A moment of silence followed. Suddenly, she shook her head, glowing patches all along her body flashing profusely. "I'm sorry if we seem unfriendly, it's just we don't usually see dragons like you… well, anywhere." Kauwari nodded. "It's ok. That's no big surprise; I'm not from here."

"Where are you from?" Shale asked. He was sitting on a rock ledge drawing something. "A place called Ontegal. It's across the ocean."

Another collective gasp. "You mean you _flew_ all the way here?"

"Yup," Kauwari replied proudly. "It was _easy_ , too." "Yeah, right." The purple dragon, Blackfang, snorted. "That's why you caused such a ruckus, huh? You were starving and delirious." "I was not!" "Yeah you were. You were hopped up like a dragon on Fire blossom." "Why you…" Kauwari growled in irritation. "I'm royalty, I'll have you know! I could mess a dragon like you up in a heartbeat."

"Oh, really?" Blackfang smiled; he seemed to be enjoying their argument. "Let's see it then!" "Alright, that's enough! You guys are supposed to get to know each other, not fight!" Blackfang scoffed, lashing his tail. "But we _are_ getting to know each other!" He whined. "Ugh, Blackfang, not now. Why don't you just sit down, before I tell everyone your little _secret_." Blackfang stopped almost immediately, a reddish tint appearing on his cheeks. "F-fine, whatever." He walked back to his spot next to Shale and flopped down. "What smoke-breather," he mumbled. "Get wrecked, mate," Shale whispered, giggling. "Shut up."

"So, you said something about being royal, huh?" Peregrine cocked her head in curiosity. _Oh, rats. I shouldn't have let THAT slip._ Kauwari sighed. "W-well, yes. I'm a… a Prince, actually." "Really? Why didn't you tell us before?" He paused for several seconds. "Because… I wanted to make sure you guys weren't going to hold me for ransom."

"Ha!" Jasmine barked. "You? Nah, we wouldn't hold you for ransom." "Well, thanks then, I guess." She smirked. "No, a wimp like you would probably only get us a few cows." Immediately, all happiness melted from Kauwari's face, and he glared at her. _Gee, thanks._ "I'm just kidding. We have to have fun somehow, right?" She laughed.

"Which tribe are you from, then?" Kauwari's ears perked up. Ah, finally, a question he could actually care about. His tribe's history was his second favorite thing to discuss. "I'm a species of dragon known as a Chromawing. 'Chroma' means 'color' in our language, and it's like that because of how our wings look." He did an about-face, and spread his flower-like wings to display the vivid colors and patterns. "Ontegal is shaped kind of like a lop-sided star, and my home, Armea, is located is on the northern-most tip. It's really mountainous up there, so we live in all these fortresses carved into the cliff faces." He smiled proudly. "Oh, and we can also-" _Wait, no, stop. Don't be stupid, you can't let them know what you can do! It might be your only ticket out of here!_ "Um, we can also, uh, hear really well! Because of the big ears." He wiggled his oversized black ears and smiled sheepishly. _Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it!_ They exchanged looks of confusion at the statement, but seemed to shrug it off. "But you said Armea was overrun, didn't you?" "Yeah, it was. They was a rebellion organized by a group called the Golden Dawn. Their mission, as crazy as it sounds, is to re-conquer all of the land previously ruled by our ancestors. And it wasn't just my home kingdom either. All the other kingdoms in Ontegal experienced similar rebellions."

"So, you were forced to leave in order to escape?" He nodded. "It's not just to escape, though, I'm also supposed to deliver a warning." Lagoon looked worried. "A warning about what?" Kauwari's expression turned grim.

"I believe the Golden Dawn may be coming here, too ."


	4. Chapter 4

"So? How did it go?"

Kauwari let out an exasperated sigh as the heavy oak door closed behind him. He had just had a several-hour-long talk with the Dragonets of Destiny, giving them the low-down on who he was and his less-than-comforting hypothesis.

"They said they'd send messages out to all the Queens, and tell them to send reinforcements to their coastal outposts. I don't think they trust me very much, though," he said, rubbing his temples.

"Well, who would? We've never seen a Chromawing before, and I don't think they'd put too much trust in a dragon who says that a spooky secret society is coming here to take over the continent and enslave us all." Jasmine frowned. "I think it's mostly because of the Sandwing War of Succession, though. After that, I think they would want to believe that the tribes had changed their hearts, seeing as how many innocent lives were lost."

Now Kauwari just felt guilty. It was obvious that the dragons _here_ had been through a lot, and seemed to be only the beginning. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but he had to tell them. "Well, I'll make sure that you won't have to go through another war again. They can't just take over an entire continent that doesn't belong to them. They can't. I won't let them." _I hope._

At least Jasmine was smiling again. "Look who's all fired up. You know, you look so cute when you're serious about something." Kauwari blinked in surprise. _I-I do?_ He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Jasmine just smiled back, seemingly ignoring his embarrassment. _What a weird dragon,_ he thought. "Oh, I have an idea! We have the rest of the day off, so my winglet is playing a game. You should come do it with us!" _She wants me to play a game with them?_ Kauwari didn't like the sound of this. It was like they were expecting him to stick around, although he really just wanted to leave right now. _Still, where would I go? I don't know anything about this place._ Alight, maybe he wouldn't leave. He was pretty bored anyway, and a game with those crazy dragons of Jasmine's did sound kinda fun… "Alright, I'll come play the game with you guys." The Rainwing squealed in delight, her scales turning an oppressive shade of pink. "Great! Come this way, there's no time to waste!" And with that, the two dragons bounded of down one of Jade's many hallways.

When they got to Jasmine's winglet, or the Silver winglet, as it was called, Kauwari immediately began to reconsider his decision. "Come ON, just do it already!" Shale yelled at the Nightwing shuffling awkwardly in the middle of the room. Peregrine sat on the floor in front of Blackfang, a blindfold covering her eyes. "What's going on? Clovis, is that you?" She said, groping at the air. Jasmine slithered in and Kauwari followed her, staring wide-eyed at Blackfang. He turned and gave the Chromawing a look that said, _'please give me a nice funeral when this is over.'_ Kauwari gulped. He had never seen the sarcastic Nightwing so scared before. "So, what's the dare?" Jasmine inquired as Kauwari sidled up next to her. "Actually, it was two dares," Shale replied. "First we dared Peregrine to wear a blindfold for ten turns, and then Blackfang got dared to kiss his crush. And you know what that means," He grinned maliciously. Behind him, Lagoon giggled. "This is gonna be so funny!"

Kauwari and the others then turned to watch Blackfang and Peregrine. Suddenly, Blackfang reached out and took one of Peregrine's flailing claws, squeezing it. "I'm so sorry about this, Peregrine. Please forgive me," he said. "I- wha? Who is-" She was cut off as he planted his snout right on hers. After a second he pulled away, hanging his head in shame. Peregrine just sat, shocked, with her mouth hanging open. Then, her talons shot up and scrabbled at her face, tearing away the blindfold. "BLACKFANG?!" She screeched. The Nightwing yelped, jumping in surprise. "I-it's not what it looks like, Peregrine! I promise! I-it was their fault!" He pointed an accusing talon at the three laughing dragons, Kauwari, and Gale. "I didn't want to, but they made me! I'm sorry Peregrine! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He wailed. Suddenly, he turned and bolted out of the cave. "Blackfang, wait! I didn't… I wasn't…" The room was silent for a moment. "Ahh, young love! It makes the world go 'round!" Shale cackled. Peregrine turned to her clawmates and glared at them. "How could you?! Forcing him to do something so personal! You guys are evil!" With an irritated flick of her tail, she ran after Blackfang. "Blackfang, wait! Come back!" Kauwari watched her sprint after the upset Nightwing, a look of horror plastered to his face. "Oh, that was hilarious," Jasmine wheezed, gasping for breath. "Hey Gale, why aren't you laughing?" The antisocial Icewing just gazed at them, annoyed. "Because it wasn't funny." She mumbled, picking at the ground. "Say, YOU haven't gone yet." Jasmine said. The Icewing froze (no pun intended hehe). Barely lifting her head, she set her eyes on the Rainwing in an unflinching glare. "I don't want to." She said coldly. Jasmine smirked, pulling Shale aside. "Oh, no. You are definitely going."

While Jasmine brainstormed with Shale and Lagoon in the other room (Clovis had mostly taken to just watching), Kauwari was left to stare at Gale. For the most part. It seemed like every time she glanced at him, she was making an effort to psychically set him on fire. It was that kind of quiet resentment, the kind that said, ' _touch me and I'll kill you'_. Although, it didn't help that she was actually very _pretty._ She had a lean, slender, Icewing-type build, and her scales glistened with the sheen of fresh snow. Her horns and claws were pearly white, and she had her long tail wrapped around her defensively. And her _eyes._ They were deep purple, with bright, sky-blue irises.

And they looked very, very familiar.

"Is there something you want?" She snapped, breaking the silence. Kauwari fidgeted. "I'm sorry, I just… have we met before?" She opened her mouth to reply, but seemed to falter. "I don't know. If I'd met a dragon that looked like _you_ before, I think I'd remember." She said, quickly looking away again. _Liar._ Now he _knew_ she was hiding something. What was it? Was it the reason she was so quiet? He had to find out more about this dragon.

But before he press any further, the rest of the group walked in from the other room. "Oh, Gaallee, you have a dare!" Gale scowled at them, flattening the spines along her neck. "Oh, great. How are you guys going to torture me now?" she hissed. "Don't be such a grumpy guss. It's really not that hard anyway. All you have to do…" Jasmine paused, letting the tension build in the air.

"Is make us laugh."

Gale's expression lifted for a bit, showing the slightest hint of relief, before slamming a grumpy face down over it once again. "Alright, fine," she said, getting up a trudging to the center. Then turned around, closed her eyes, and sat.

And sat.

And sat.

And _sat._

And then suddenly…

FWOOSH!

Twin jets of frostbreath came shooting out of her nose.

"Bwahahaha!" Immediately, the rest of the Silver winglet fell to pieces. Even Kauwari had to laugh. He had to admit, for such a serious dragon, Gale could make a funny joke. "Ok, guys, come on, somebody's going to here you and wonder what's up," she said, distressed. "O-ok, hehe, ok," Jasmine said as she wiped tears out of his eyes.

When they had recollected themselves, they continued the game. Dare after dare, truth after truth, each one of them was humiliated over and over again as revenge for a dare or truth of their own. Peregrine eventually showed up with Blackfang, who, although he looked like he had just eaten a clawful of fire blossom fruit, seemed "much better".

They played Truth or Dare for the rest of the day, till the ghostly forms of Pyrrhia's moons began peeking over the horizon. Eventually, though, on command of Sunny's gentle but firm orders, they made their way back to the dormitories.

"Where am I going to sleep?" Kauwari stood in archway of the silver winglet's sleeping cave. "You could sleep in my bed," Shale piped. He hopped off the moss-covered ledge he was laying on. Kauwari gave him a surprised look. "Really? But, then where are you going to-" "On the floor." Shale watched the dragon's face morph from surprise to disgust. "Don't worry," he laughed. "I used to bunk on Blackfang's bed. It's really not much different." He looked over to where the Nightwing was snoring, snarling and clawing at the air. "I wonder what he's dreaming about…" Kauwari watched Blackfang growl at nothing before flipping over again. Shale gave him a sideways look. "Probably about all the ways he'd murder us for that dare earlier today. Anyway, I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow!" The wisps of flame on the torches flickered as Shale paced out of the room. Kauwari walked over to the moss bed, feeling its texture. _It's soft._ He thought. Not quite the same as his bed at home, but a bed nonetheless. Jumping up, he layed down and put his head in his talons. Soon, darkness overtook his vision, and he was asleep.

Kauwari opened one eye, scanning the room. He didn't know whether any dragons had walked past the dorms to make sure they were asleep, but as far as he could tell, his snoozing act had worked. Making sure the coast was clear, he stood up, quietly stretching his legs and neck. The torches were out, now doing nothing more than sizzling away in the night. It would make seeing in the dark a little harder, but he felt safe knowing that it would do the same for other dragons as well.

He tentatively put one claw down on the stone floor, testing its noise. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be heard though. Clovis was asleep, and Blackfang had finally calmed down. Shale was probably out in the lobby, which, thankfully wasn't in the direction he was headed. _Alright. Looks like I should be able to get there without a hitch._ He silently swooped over to the doorway, poking his head into the darkness. No one in the halls. _Good._ He turned and headed left, tucking his wings in took make sure they didn't scrape the walls. He was about to let out a sigh of relief, when a small, almost unnoticeable sound make the air catch in his throat.

 _Scraaape._

He froze, eyes wide, ears poised to listen. He swore he had heard something. But what could it have been? Was it a dragon? It DID sound like talons scratching on rock.

 _Is someone following me?_

He didn't want to believe that. No, it couldn't have been a dragon, Now that he thought about it, it was more like a rock rolling. Or a mouse, skittering across the floor. Taking a deep breath, he continued walking.

 _Yeah. No one's following me._

 _I hope._


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, Gale, I'm so glad to see you again!"

A young Icewing male stood in front of me. It was my brother, Snowdrift. Or what used to be him.

"I'm sure you are, but I'm not."

Drift's face morphed into one of mild surprise. He was just as I had last remembered him: kind, cool, and…

Absent.

"Why not? It's your brother, Drift. Don't you remember me?"

He casually took a step forward, ivory claws clinking on the abyssal plane. My eyes narrowed, my wings twitched, my tail lashed. Every one of my instincts was telling me to run. But I couldn't. I was frozen in place. Drift's green irises locked with mine.

"You're not him. Drift was nice, he was smart, and he was generous. He was my brother. You'll never be like him, you demon."

I spat the last word out my mouth like it was laced with poison. This, thing, was not my brother. It was an imposter, using my brother's body like a skin suit to do as it pleased.

Drift smirked. "Seems you're as stubborn as ever, Gale. You know, I once thought you were a nice dragon. But then, the more and more familiar I became with you, I realized something. You aren't really what you acted like you were. You're selfish. You're sly. You're a filthy, worthless backstabber. You left Drift to die!"

I flinched. This had been brought up many times, but it had lost none of the emotional weight it carried.

I had no choice. Drift wanted me to leave. He told me to!

"I already told you, I had no choice! Drift… no, you, were going to kill me! And Drift knew it! He knew about you!"

"LIES!" The imposter yelled. Its eyes were filled with fury, now. I knew this would end just like last time. And the time before. And the time after that. Forever and ever, the cycle would repeat itself, until I die.

But I knew even death would not release me from my guilt.

Suddenly, the imposter came charging at me. My eyes widened, and I threw my talons up in defense. But they came too late.

"Ack!" Claws wrapped themselves around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. "All of my existence, I've waited for this moment, Gale. To repay you for all the things you made Drift suffer through. To make you understand what it would have been like to be him. Retribution, you may call it."

Lights danced in my vision as I scrabbled to free myself. Above me I could see the faint outline of a clawed paw, poised to kill. It was over, and I knew it.

"NOW DIE!"

"GAAH!"

Gale shot up in bed, breathing hard. Her claws trembled as she threw her head from side to side, scanning the room for signs of danger. All that greeted her was darkness and soft sounds of her female clawmates snoozing the night away.

Oh, thank goodness. At least no one was awake to see that.

She had been dreaming about her brother, Snowdrift. Again. These nightmares had become a common occurrence for her, waking her up night after night, stripping her of sleep.

"Ugh," she groaned, flopping back down on the stone ledge.

Oh, Drift. I miss you.

It had been years since she last saw her brother. Her wonderful, smiling brother. The one she grew up adoring, caring for… she could remember her brother's look of glee the day her mother introduced him to her. Look, Drift! It's your sister, Gale! She had said.

But that all changed 3 years ago, on that fateful night. When she was first introduced to… her.

My forgotten sibling. I should have known. Even under that bright face and his hyper attitude, I knew there was something off about Drift. The way he acted, how his mood would switch in the blink of an eye, it was all there. And yet, I just couldn't see it.

She growled. There was a secret that her mother had been hiding from her for years, and that night… it all came spilling out. Literally.

Don't worry, Drift. I'll find you someday. I know you're alive; that bitch would never let you go. You're too important to her.

Suddenly, Gale was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Her ears twitched as her keen hearing pinpointed the location of the noise. The hallway? Is someone trying to sneak out? She could just hear the faintest sound of breathing. Whoever it was, they had obviously not gotten much practice with being stealthy.

Hmm. I should follow them, just to see what they're up to. I mean, I'm not gonna get any sleep anyway.

She stepped off the ledge, stepping deftly towards the exit archway. Being an Icewing, not only could she see in bright light, her eyes were also adapted for darkness as well.

Closer…closer…

"Scrape!"

Unfortunately, she had been so focused on the door, that she had not seen a small pebble on the ground in front of her, and with a the flick of a talon, had sent it skittering across the floor. Outside, the footsteps had halted, and the dragon's breathing had become frantic.

Shoot!

She quickly flattened her body against the stone and held her breath, doing her best not to make a sound. A few seconds passed, before the dragon seemed to regain their composure, and the noise of claws hitting the rocks continued.

Phew, that was close.

She got up and followed the escapee out into the hallway. They must have not been very familiar with the layout of the school, because they had walked down several other corridors and doubled back a few times. Eventually, though, they got out into the lobby, and she was forced to stay behind and watch, or risk being spotted.

It must have been the place the dragon was looking for, because they picked up their pace and started jogging over to the huge entranceway. Gale strained her neck to see.

Who is that?

Then, as the dragon stepped into the moonlight, she got a good look at them.

Kauwari?!

Before she could jump out and stop him, Kauwari spread his rainbow-colored wings and shot up into the air, disappearing upwards.

Damn! What is he doing?

She rushed over to where the Chromawing had been standing moments before, on the bamboo walkway, just in time to see the orange tip of a tail vanishing over the top of the mountainside. Spreading her wings, she took off as well, following the soft 'whoosh' of wingbeats. They flew for several minutes, climbing higher and higher over the mountain peak, until Kauwari gently glided to a stop, alighting on a small ledge near the top. Gale landed as well, curling her wings in and ducking behind a boulder.

For several minutes, Kauwari layed there, admiring the glowing crescent of the moon hanging in the sky. It was flanked on all sides by glitters of light cast by the stars, with a velvet nebula wrapping them all together, and casting an ethereal glow across Pyrrhia.

Gale sighed, not particularly interested in the beautiful sight. "Jeez, this is lame," she whispered. Just when she thought she might pass out from boredom, Kauwari pulled something out his bag and laid it in front of him. He had his back to Gale, so she couldn't see exactly what it was. However, she did notice a strange, pulsating light appear as he started to fiddle with whatever he had in front of him.

Gale watched him for a while, before sheer curiosity finally took over. She stood and walked over to where he was, making sure not to startle him. Kauwari was so focused on his activity that he didn't even notice as she snuck up behind him.

"Boo."

"Eep!" Kauwari jumped, and the light immediately puffed out as he frantically threw his claws over the object in an attempt to hide it. Sensing he had been caught, he let out a long sigh. His shoulders sank as he slowly turned around, not bothering to look Gale in the eye.

"I-is there something you want?"

Gale smirked. "Yeah. I'd like you to show me what you're up to over here."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, you really don't know? Then I guess i'll just have to ask one of the teachers. Hi miss so-and-so, why does Kauwari go up to the top of the mountain at night and do secretive things?"

Yikes, Gale thought, as Kauwari shivered and shrank further into a ball. Is… whatever this is, really that important to him? Maybe I shouldn't do this. But it was already too late. Turning back around, he gestured for her to sit beside him. Even then, he still refused to meet her gaze, and she could feel the aura of defeat around him.

"If…" he started. "If I show you my… uh, I mean, this, now… will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Kauwari finally met her stare. She would never admit it, but that helpless puppy-dog-eyes look of his was absolutely adorable.

"I promise."

His face seemed to brighten a bit at the statement. He turned back to his clasped talons, releasing the object contained within.

It was a small diamond.

"A rock? Is that it?"

"No, no, not the diamond. It's this."

He smiled, before closing his eyes and concentrating. Gale watched as the air beside the diamond shimmer and flutter, and little sparks of illumination began to multiply. They started to congeal, and suddenly, one square facet of light appeared, followed by another, and another, until they formed a whole new shape right before Gale's eyes.

It was another diamond.

Her face was blank with bewilderment, and Kauwari opened his eyes to observe his work. He seemed pleased with her reaction. "Wha… how did you…" The Icewing stuck one paw out to grab the stone, and watched as her claws passed right through it, leaving only a small shiver in its appearance behind.

"It's an illusion," Kauwari explained. "All Chromawings have the ability to make such illusions. That's where our name comes from."

She gave him an awestruck look. "Can you do more like this?"

"Well, yes. Actually, there's 3 categories of illusions. The first is Imitation, which is this. You make a copy of an object, or manifest something from imagining it. Second is Disguise, which is where you change another dragon's appearance or your own. Third is Landscape, which is when you modify the appearance of an entire setting to look how you want it to."

"Wait, does that mean you could have changed whatever you wanted to before to escape? Why didn't you do that?"

"I… don't know, actually… I guess I just felt like staying here for some reason…"

Kauwari looked up to find Gale giving him a very devious look.

"So, does that mean you LIKE it here, then?"

"N-no! Why would you think that?" He said, flustered. "Look, illusions are difficult to control, and won't work if you were as scatter-brained as I was a few days ago."

"Oh." She rolled her eyes, knowing she wouldn't get a reliable answer to that question anyway. "So, what about the other members of your tribe? Can they do all those things too?"

"Well, yes and no. See, there's also 4 kinds of dragons within our society, based on their wing colors. Some have orange, and they can do imitations only. Others have blue, for disguise, or green, for landscapes. And the really rare ones have all three, like me." He fanned out his tri-colored wings, letting the pride swell in his chest.

"So, as you can se-"

"Can you do a dragon?"

Kauwari, stopped, mouth half-open, and blinked at her. "A dragon?! A whole dragon would be nearly impossible! It would take me hours to get all the scales, and the body, and the colors, and... and... uh..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"So, that's a yes, then?"

The Chromawing watched his Icewing friend give him the most innocent smile she could muster. He glared at her.

"Yes, it is."

"Could you move a little more to the left? Ok, there. That's perfect."

Gale did her best to stand up a straight as possible, displaying all the aspects of the Icewing form. For the past half-hour, she had been serving as the model for Kauwari's illusion. But it wasn't just any dragon she wanted to see. It was her brother.

I wonder if it will really look like him.

She turned her head to see Kauwari sitting just a few feet away, brow furrowed in concentration. "How much longer is this going to take?" Gale groaned, digging her talons anxiously into the rock. Kauwari cracked one eye open to survey her frustration.

"About ten minutes," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Hmph." Gale glance over at the Chromawing as he went back to his work. It was curious. This was to be a 'disguise', according to Kauwari. Seeing his scales riggle and turn over as the magic traveled up his body gave Gale weird chills. She had never really believed in animi and stuff like that, and this was no different. But here she was, watching another dragon morph into a complete duplicate of her long-lost sibling.

"Aah, finally," Kauwari sighed. The illusion was finished; if he had gotten it right, he should look like a genuine Icewing. He held a paw out in front of him, flexing his claws to see the snow-colored scales glint in the moonlight. "A bit of a challenge, I'll say, but nothing too hard for me to handle. Welp, you wanted to see your brother, here he is."

Gale walked over to the other dragon, before sitting in front of him. Her eyes traveled up and down his body. Soon, her eyes locked with his. They were emerald green.

A color she knew all too well.

"Drift..."

"Huh?" Kauwari said, cocking his head to one side. "Wha'd you say?"

"Snowdrift. That was my brother's name, although it was just Drift to me." Gale chuckled. "It's amazing; you look exactly like him." She stared at him for a few more seconds, before tentatively placing one set of talons on Kauwari's. He flinched, but didn't pull away. "Uhh... Gale... what are you doing...?"

As Kauwari eyed her warily, Gale's gaze slowly became more and more absent, as if she was falling into a trance. Her left claws clutched his own, while her right found their way to his face. She cupped his cheek, running her talons over the scales on his chin. "Oh, Drift..." she whispered.

"Where... where did you go?"

'Why are you here, Gale?'

Gale froze, returning to her senses. She could have sworn she heard a voice. Who's voice?

"K-Kauwari?"

"Hm?" He paused in the middle of pushing her paw off his snout. "What's up?"

"You didn't... happen to say something, did you?"

The Chromawing gave her a strange look. "No...?"

'I told you to leave, remember? But I guess you didn't. I'm not surprised, you were never the smartest dragon.'

"That's... Drift's voice..."

'Why, do you not even remember me anymore? I'm disappointed, I thought I meant more to you than that!'

The Icewing back away from Kauwari, curling into a ball and clutching her head. Her claws shook, and she trembled from horns to tail. "No, Drift, you... you don't understand! I didn't want to leave, you told me to!" She yelled.

'I hate you, Gale. I HATE YOU!'

The shrill noise startled Kauwari. In a flash of ethereal sparkles, the illusion shattered and dissipated into the air, and he was back to looking like his old self. "Wha- Gale!" The Icewing continued writhing as Kauwari ran over to her, panicking.

"Oh no, no, no...Gale?! What's wrong?!"

"Aaah!"

A throb of pain shot through Gale. Her neck and wings stiffened. She felt like someone had wrpped their talons around her neck, and she was slowly suffocating.

"Why... Drift, why?!"

'I never wanted you to leave, Gale. You told yourself that. Always listening to the little voice in your head, saying, 'Run! Run, Gale! Save your own skin!''

Gale's eyes widened.

"No... you're not..."

'Don't you dare say that. You might convince yourself otherwise, but I will always know the truth. I am your brother. I hate you for abandoning me. And...'

'...I hope I never have to see your traitorous face again.'

"N-NO!"

"GALE!"

Silence.

Suddenly, the voice was gone. The ringing in Gale's ears faded away. Her struggling stopped; Kauwari had managed to shake her out of her fit.

"...G-Gale? Are you okay?"

Gale's talons relaxed, and her arms fell away. She slowly raised her head, still shaking, to meet the ebony dragon's qustioning gaze. As the last bit of her strength faded, she uttered two words.

"Help me."

And everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure she's going to be alright, Starflight?"

The blind Nightwing sighed in exasperation. He already had to deal with the constant stress of being a librarian; 'unusual' incidents like these were, to say the least, troubling.

"I... am not sure, Jasmine. I know Gale's well being concerns you, but she just woke up, and it will be about an hour before the Rainwing healers can finish their diagnosis. Because of the particularly strange conditions under which this occurred, I think it's probably best that Gale stay here so she can get her rest."

Jasmine leaned to one side in an effort to look past Starflight and into the infirmary. She thought she saw a glimpse of Icewing scales, but they were quickly covered up by the bustling Rainwings as they stormed around tending to their patients.

"...Alright, fine," Jasmine replied with a huff, tints of orange flowering across her body. "Could I see her if I came back in an hour?"

"Well, just because time's up doesn't mean she's going to be ok," Starflight started with a half-hearted laugh. When he saw the expression the young Rainwing was giving him, though, he immediately took it back. "Er... I suppose I could get something arranged, however."

Jasmine's face instantly brightened at the proposition. She nodded, before turning and walking down the hallway. "Thanks, Starflight!"

"Yeah, sure," he grumbled, eyeing her dubiously. When she was out of earshot, the Nightwig groaned.

"Oh, thank the moons I'm a librarian!"

"Starflight says to come back in an hour," Jasmine said, as she carried a batch of bananas over to the rest of the Silver winglet. They landed with a 'whump' as she dropped them onto the stone in front of her, before plopping down herself. "Seriously Kauwari, what happened last night?"

The Chromawing stared solemnly at the chunk of meat he was picking at, and sighed in discontent. "I already told you, I don't know. I snuck out to... to get a little time to myself, and she followed me up to the top of the mountain. We talked for a bit, mostly about where I'm from, but then we got to talking about her brother, and... that's when she freaked out." He turned his pleading gaze to Jasmine. "I don't know why."

The words echoed through Jasmine's brain. 'Her brother...' She shook her head. "I should've known," she replied, taking a bite out of banana. "I probably should have told you this, but don't talk to Gale about her past. It usually doesn't go over well with her."

"Yeah, I remember one time, when she got in an argument with this Skywing, and she broke his snout," Blackfang chimed, making a snapping motion with his claws. "We're pretty sure he said something about her family. It was like he flipped a switch or something."

"Well, geez, I'm sorry, alright?" Kauwari cried. "Besides, it was her idea! SHE was the one who wanted to see him!" He gasped when he realized what he had just said.

Peregrine seemed to be the first to notice. "What do you mean 'see him', Kauwari?"

Suddenly, six pairs of eyes locked onto Kauwari. The ebony dragon gulped. "Uh..." 'Well, I'm cornered. Crap, I knew this would happen eventually,' Kauwari thought, wringing his claws. 'But... they seem trustworthy enough. I mean, I let Gale see... I guess they're ok, too.'

"Well, I... I have a secret. One that I haven't told you guys yet. I would love to show you, but I'm afraid we can't do it here," He said, pushing away his breakfast and rising to his feet. "So."

"Where's someplace where no one will bother us?"

"Well, if you're looking for privacy, this is about as good as you're gonna get."

Jasmine stepped aside to let the other dragons in, her lavender eyes scanning the cave. It was deep in Jade Mountain, and featured a small pond in the middle. It was a little small, and the ceiling was covered in fireworms that bathed it in an eerie yellow light.

"I heard this is where the old Jade winglet used to hang out. Isn't that cool? It's like we're celebrities too!"

She laughed, but paused when she saw the confused look Kauwari was giving her. "The old Jade winglet?"

"Nevermind..."

Clovis bounded past Kauwari, jumping up to sit on a rock at the far end of the room. His tail lashed in anticipation, the feather charm on his ear swinging back and forth. "So, you said there would be a secret? Well don't dawdle around, come on and spit it out!" He sang.

Kauwari seemed to shiver, before accepting his fate. "Alright, fine..." he paced over to the edge of the pool. He stared down into it, observing his sour expression, and looked back at Jasmine, Shale, and the others.

"Uh... could you guys go sit by Clovis? I think it'll probably be easier to see that way."

Jasmine blinked at him, blinked at the others, and then blinked at Kauwari again.

"Ok, sure, I guess."

They jumped onto the same rock as Clovis, shuffling about to organize their space. Jasmine muscled Clovis over, and Shale jumped up onto the Rainwing's shoulders. Blackfang and Peregrine sat next to each other, their tails twined.

Lagoon was the last one to move. "Actually, I'm gonna go in the pond. I'm a Seawing after all."

"What? But- I need to-" he had barely raised his talons before Lagoon dove into the pond, sending droplets of water everywhere.

"Aah, sweet relief! It's so dry here, I just HATE it!"

Kauwari sighed, casting a glare at the sea dragon before straightening his back and clearing his throat.

"Okay, here I go."

He extended his arms, spreading his claws out in the air before him. After a few seconds, the magic began to take effect.

The air almost seemed to vibrate as specks of light began falling out of his palms and onto the water, where they drifted in the waves and disappeared.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Is that... magic?" Shale arched his neck to look at her, before he became fascinated as well. "Kauwari's got maaagiccc!" He squealed.

"It's not magic," Kauwari said. "You'll see what it is in a second."

"Yeah," Blackfang scoffed. "Just looks like a bunch of light tricks to me."

Across the cave, Kauwari shot him a glare. "Care to repeat that, goat-face?" Blackfang nearly fell off the rock. "Wha'd you say to me, mister magician? I'll take that sparkly stuff and shove it down your neck if I have to!" The two ebony dragons stared each other down, seemingly engaged in a mental battle to the death.

"All right, Blackfang, that's enough," Peregrine said, grabbing the Nightwing's shoulder. "Any more arguing and I'm going to get upset."

Blackfang glanced at Peregrine, then angrily back at Kauwari, who was smirking.

"Fine," he grumbled. He started picking at some lichen on the stone below him.

After a few minutes, the magic stopped. "Alright, it should be finished," Kauwari said.

"But, it doesn't look like you did anything," Jasmine complained. Lagoon nodded as she resurfaced from a dive. "Yeah, where's your hocus-pocus thingy?"

"Don't worry," Kauwari replied. He smiled, then snapped his claws at the water. "It should be here right about now."

Suddenly, a giant gray shape burst out of the water with a ferocious roar. Lagoon shrieked and tumbled backward, before scrabbling out of the pond in terror.

"YOU CAN SUMMON SHARKS?! WHAT THE HELL!" She cried.

Kauwari, on the other hand, had bowled over laughing. "No, no, it's not a REAL shark!" He choked. "J-just an illusion."

While the others stood in shock, Clovis just gasped. "An illusion?" He jumped off the rock and paced over to Kauwari. "You said you were on some sort of urgent mission, correct?"

Kauwari's laughter died out as he stared curiously up at the Sandwing. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Just taking a random guess, but would you happen to be here to see someone? Someone who would... help you get back to Ontegal?"

"Actually, yes, but only I should know that." Realization seemed to dawn on Kauwari. "So, then that means..."

"That I," Clovis said, holding out his talons. "Am your contact."


	7. Chapter 7

**My god, I'm so damn lazy. Sorry for the long wait, I blame myself. Anyway, here is the next chappy. It's fairly long, so ya'll should be satisfied. I hope to update next week, but I can't promise. So here this is. Hope you enjoy!**

 **-Saiba**

"So, who is it you work for?"

Kauwari busied himself with questioning Clovis as his friends hunted. Wait a minute, friends? Already?

 _Maybe I am going insane._ Kauwari thought. _Maybe those darts were hallucinogenic or something._

Whatever. For right now, Kauwari had to focus on more urgent matters.

"A group called the Nightcrawlers," Clovis replied, watching the other dragons frantically chase prey around in the afternoon sun. "We're based in Possibility, basically a bunch of vigilantes. My father is... well, he's pretty high up in their ranks, so if you want some help getting back to Ontegal, he would be the person to go to."

The thought of Ontegal made Kauwari's mind whirl. 'Home... I might be going home!' He thought in glee. A ghost of a grin appeared on his face.

"So, could you take me to him?"

Clovis jumped, head snapping back to face his interrogator. "What, right NOW?" He exclaimed. "But, my father's probably busy, cleaning up after petty criminals and stuff, y'know? I mean, I could send him an inquiry, but it'd be a week or two before it gets to him, at least. Plus, he told me not to leave the academy. Gave me the whole 'dire consequences' speech and everything."

Kauwari scoffed, lashing his tail as they sat in front of the small lake next to Jade Mountain. "Well, you're his son, aren't you? Can't he make an exception?" He growled, tossing a piece of goat meat into his mouth.

Clovis stopped in the middle of protesting. His gaze traveled down to his claws, and he played with his feather charm as his brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly, his face brightened, and when Kauwari looked back at him, he was smirking deviously.

"Well, I've never been one to disobey my father," Clovis chuckled. "He doesn't want to me to turn into some sort of CRIMINAL, right?"

Kauwari raised an eye-ridge, surprised by the dragon's sudden change in attitude. "Sooo... what are you thinking?"

"Y'know, I've always wondered what it's like to go against the law. Guess it's time to find out," he laughed. Then, he turned to Kauwari. "I don't know yet, but I'll see what I can come up with. If we try to leave now, the Dragonets will send a search party out after us for sure. They don't want another Jade winglet getting pulled."

Kauwari irritably shook his head at the words 'Jade winglet'. "Y'know, I keep hearing the Jade winglet thing getting thrown around," he said, frustrated. "Why? What happened?"

Clovis looked at him, clearing his throat nervously. The 'incident' was not normally something that Pyrrhians were comfortable talking about. "Well... let's just say that if it wasn't for them, we'd all be very, VERY dead right now." He stood up, stretching his legs and shaking out his tail.

Kauwari gave him a puzzled look, but dismissed the explanation as an overly dramatic show of horror. "Why are you telling me all this, anyway? What's so special about me?" He questioned.

As soon as he posed the question, Clovis' face froze. "I… to be honest, I don't know. All my orders come from my father, and I usually don't like to question him. You know?" Clovis chuckled, staring at a butterfly as it landed on his talons. "But I would. Tell you, I mean. If I knew myself what exactly was going on."

Kauwari eyed him suspiciously. _Now I know he's hiding something._ But, he decided against pressing further. For now, he just wanted to let his mind rest. His purple irises scanned the mountainous landscape, and he managed to spot a slender, sky-blue dragon winging her way towards them.

"So, are you guys having fun chatting over here?"

Jasmine chimed as she flew up to them, landed, and began to munch on a wild boar she had caught.

"Well, Clovis dreamed something up, but he hasn't told me what it is yet." Kauwari cast a suspicious glare at the Sandwing, who threw his claws up in defense. "Hey, I haven't worked out the details yet, ok? So chill. But I promise I'll be able to get you guys out of here by tonight."

Jasmine's eyes widened in alarm. "Tonight? But what about Gale?" She stuttered. "I haven't visited her yet, so I still don't know how she's holding up. We can't just leave her here alone!"

Kauwari sighed. He had forgotten about that. "Ok, look. You guys figure out our 'plan' with Clovis, and I'll..." he paused, all the possible consequences of the action he was about to make flashing through his mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake off those thoughts. "I'll go talk to Gale. And Jasmine,"

The aforementioned dragon turned her attention to Kauwari. "Hmmph? Whath ith it?" Her voice was muffled by a mouthful of food, but still decipherable. "I promise I won't mention her brother." Jasmine nodded as she swallowed. "That... would be great."

Upon hearing her response, Kauwari jumped up and took off, quickly making his way back towards the Academy.

"Gale? Are you awake?"

Kauwari called into the infirmary, poking his head inside. Upon finding none of the Rainwing nurses present, he rounded the corner and walked in. 'That makes sense, they're probably at lunch. But I should still make this quick.'

He began pacing down the room, checking each bed for glittering silver scales. There were also a bunch of other patients there as well, he noticed. Mudwings, Skywings, Rainwings, dragons of all kinds, and only a few seemed to acknowledge him. Some saw him, and their eyes widened with curiosity. Others groaned in discomfort, glassy stares fixated on the warm lamps hanging above them. Most just continued to sleep off their drug-induced stupor. But there was something that stood out about each one of them.

Kauwari stopped as he came up to another bed, occupied by a snoozing Mudwing. He scanned her wood-brown body, trying to decipher what might be poking his brain.

Eventually, his eyes came to rest on a set of three bloody gashes, which lay parallel to each other across her left shoulder.

'It's their wounds,' he said, drawing in a sharp breath. 'They're all clearly made by other dragons. Scratches, bruises, burn marks...'

A sigh escaped him. 'It must be difficult, getting dragons who used to be enemies to work with each other.' There had never been any major conflicts back in Ontegal.

Kauwari shuddered as he remembered why he was here. That was the reason he had been caught so off guard when they were attacked. Everything had seemed so peaceful and ordinary. And yet, for him… life fell apart quicker than Kauwari could have ever imagined.

Suddenly, Kauwari was snapped back to reality as a loud groan was uttered a little further down the line of stone beds. The voice was clearly female: one that Kauwari easily recognized.

'Gale!' He thought. 'That must be her!'

As he dashed over, just a few spots down, lay the antisocial Icewing. Gale appeared to be just waking up. Kauwari put his paws on her back and shook her gently in an effort to speed up the process. "Hey, Gale! Wake up, it's me, Kauwari!"

Gale rolled over, but when she saw him, her face morphed from one of tiredness to one of horror. "Get away from me, monster!" She hissed, and lashed out with her claws as she jumped up and drew back.

Sharp pain shot through Kauwari's cheek, and he quickly recoiled. "OW!" He could feel warm liquid start dripping down his face, and it tasted of metal as it seeped into his mouth. "What the hell was that for?!"

After a moment, Gale seemed to process what had just happened. "S-sorry," she mumbled. "I just...I thought you were my brother."

Kauwari sensed her distress, and his face softened. Her hopped onto the bed. "I think I should be the one apologizing, actually." He said. "I shouldn't have startled you like that, knowing what you've been through. I'm sorry, if I had just -"

"No, no, stop," Gale said, shaking her head. "That… was my fault. I forced you to do it. My request, my responsibility."

He didn't know why, but Kauwari felt a strange twinge as Gale glared at her talons in distress. He thought it strange, but this was no way to give first impressions. He needed to reconcile. Even if he had only known her and her friends for a few weeks.

Tentatively, he placed his paws on hers. Gale flinched, barely looking up at Kauwari. He felt his cheeks heat up, and looked away. Gale was no doubt having the same reaction. "You know, I used to know somebody who did something bad to me. But even though it was an accident, she still felt like she had done something wrong. I hate it when somebody hates themselves for something, even though I don't… we're not perfect you know. Everyone makes mistakes."

He sighed. "But I just hope my new friends don't end up the way she did." He said softly, his voice caring a dark tone as he mumbled the words.

The Icewing finally looked up, and Kauwari was pleasantly surprised to see a grin on her face. "F-friends?" She inquired. "Sounds like you've been pretty busy while I was asleep."

"Yeah, I guess I have," he said, gazing at his claws, which lay unmoved from their spot on Gale's. "Oh, that reminds me! I need to tell you something. There's been a recent... development, while you were out. And it's pretty important."

Gaze raised an eye-ridge. "Really now?"

Kauwari nodded his head, before getting up and jumping off the bed. Gale also got up, since it was pretty clear they were leaving.

"C'mon," he said. "We don't want the others to get bored."

Gale smiled. "Yeah. They tend to get in trouble when they're bored." She laughed. Then she dashed after Kauwari as he headed for the exit, and the infirmary was silent once again, save for the occasional expression of pain.

"So, let me get this straight," Gale said. Kauwari had taken her to meet up with the rest of the Silver winglet, which was back in the same cave the old Jade winglet normally went to.

"Kauwari, you're on a mission to save Pyrrhia from the evil 'Golden Dawn' guys. Clovis, you're actually a member of a shady vigilante group in Possibility, and Kauwari needs your help getting back to Ontegal. And your plan is..."

"I'm going to take Kauwari to my father, in Possibility. The influence of the Nightcrawlers is pretty extensive, so I imagine they've already found out about Ontegal, and have a way to get there," Clovis explained, waving his talons in the air. "And were not 'shady', by the way."

Jasmine, who was sitting next to Gale, piped up. "But what about us? You don't expect to leave us behind, do you?"

"That was the plan," Kauwari replied.

"No way," Gale protested. "I'm coming with you."

"But you CAN'T. It's way too dangerous, and you guys don't know Ontegal at all!"

Gale squeezed her claws into a fist. "Too bad. I need to find my brother. I know he's still alive; I can feel it. No way in hell am I going to waste an opportunity like this."

"I'm with Gale," Jasmine said. "Just because it's dangerous or whatever doesn't mean we can't help."

"No. No! You're not going. None of you are," Kauwari growled.

Jasmine laughed. "What are you gonna do, stop us?"

The Chromawing opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. 'She's right,' he thought. 'What can I do?' He gritted his teeth. 'Nothing, I guess.'

"Well, what about the others? Shale? Peregrine? ... Bonehead? What do they think?" Kauwari questioned.

Jasmine snickered. 'Bonehead' was good name for Blackfang. "I don't know. Let's ask them." She got up and walked over to the edge of the pool, where Shale, Blackfang, and Peregrine were playing. "Hey guys, we need to talk to you."

"Aww c'mon," Shale whined, dodging a splash of water. "Five more minutes!"

Jasmine sighed. "It's urgent."

Peregrine gave Jasmine an inquisitive look, and swam over to Blackfang. She grabbed his shoulder, and started paddling over to the shore.

"H-hey!" Blackfang exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"It's Jasmine," Peregrine replied, catching the stone edge with her talons. "She says it's important."

Blackfang didn't argue. "Alright. Let's go, Shale."

Shale groaned, irritably slapping the water with his tail. "You guys are no fun," he mumbled.

When the rest of the winglet joined them, Kauwari, Jasmine, Clovis, and Gale resumed their talks.

"Where's Lagoon?" Kauwari noticed the Seawing wasn't with them, and was looking around in confusion.

"She asked to be transferred to a different winglet," Peregrine sighed. "I think you traumatized her."

The ebony dargon rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Er, sorry. I didn't know it would be so effective," he chuckled nervously.

"Doesn't matter, she was a wimp anyway." Blackfang said. "What's this important thing you needed us for?"

Jasmine took a deep breath. "We're thinking about joining Kauwari on his journey back to Ontegal."

Shale's eyes widened, and he did a somersault. "You want to go on an adventure?" He squealed gleefully. "Count me in!"

Jasmine ignored Kauwari's scowl of annoyance. "That makes three, then. Peregrine? Blackfang? What about you guys?"

Peregrine took a while to answer. "Well, if were helping to save Pyrrhia, then I guess I'll go too." When she finished, she turned to Blackfang and gave him an expectant look.

Blackfang seemed reluctant to say anything, but after a minute or two of Peregrine's stare, he gave up. "I'll go," he said. "But only because she forced me to." He pointed a claw at Peregrine, who seemed pleased.

Jasmine smirked, and to face an incredulous Kauwari. "I guess it's settled, then."

Kauwari glared at her. "I guess it is," he hissed.

"Did you already take care of the search parties, Clovis?"

The Sandwing nodded. "I don't think they'll be bothering us anymore," he said.

Jasmine smiled. "Then let's go. Pack your bags, everyone," she said.

"We leave for Possibility tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

"What's Possibility?"

Clovis paused, drawn away from his packing efforts to address Kauwari's question. "Possibility is a town up north, kind of stuck in between the Sand and Sky Kingdoms." He replied. "After the war ended, Possibility was basically the only place in Pyrrhia where you could still find dragons from different tribes living together without clawing at each others' throats."

As he finished explaining, the Sandwing started gazing out the window, where a veil of nighttime darkness was just beginning to peak over the horizon. "Most say it's the best bet for lasting peace we have right now. Kinda cool, right?"

Kauwari didn't know. To be honest, he wasn't sure that having your enemies living right next door to you was such a good idea. "I guess. But how do they take it so well, even though the last battle was only a few months ago? Don't they still get dragons fighting each other?"

"Sometimes," Clovis replied. "But those are mostly isolated incidents. Dragons can get disturbed from time to time, and maybe they'll go crazy and attack their neighbor or something. But most of them just want to be able to live their own lives, have their own houses and their own families."

"Besides," Clovis said as he stuffed a scroll into his bag. "We don't tolerate violence there." He gave Kauwari a dubious grin, and the latter just raised an eye-ridge.

"I get a strange feeling like something hypocritical is going on," he said. Clovis merely shrugged. "We do what we have to do," He replied.

They went back to packing, and only the muted shuffling of scrolls and supplies filled the room. For a while, nobody said anything. The crickets chirped quietly outside the dorm window, and an owl or two could be heard hooting in the distance.

"LOOK OUT!" Shattering the silence, Blackfang suddenly came crashing through the doorway, tumbling head over tail until he smacked into the wall at the far end of the room.

"Talons and tails," Clovis breathed. The Sandwing looked pale, as if all the blood had suddenly drained out of him. "Blackfang, you nearly gave me a heart attack." He clutched his chest, trying to calm his breathing.

"That's great, Clovis. Damn the moons that it didn't happen." He replied sarcastically, brushing himself off. Frankly, Blackfang looked pretty frazzled himself, all wide-eyed and scuffed up. "Is there anywhere I could hide? Like, right now?"

"Why, what happened?" Kauwari asked, peeking between his wings, which he had thrown over himself. A second later, his question was answered, as another voice echoed down the hallway.

"BLACKFANG, you are DEAD!" It cried, accompanied by the scraping of talons.

"Eep!" Blackfang jumped, and dove under Kauwari's bed ledge, attepting to squeeze himself into the small space.

"That was Peregrine's voice," Clovis observed. His face immediately turned to one of concern. "Blackfang, what did you DO?"

"None of your business," the Nightwing squeaked.

A moment later, a red whirlwind barreled into the room, tackling Kauwari and pinning him to the floor. "Aha!" It said triumphantly. "You rotten little- oh. Whoops." Kauwari felt Peregrine lift her talons off his back, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that," the Skywing said apologetically. "I thought you were Blackfang."

As he looked at Peregrine, Kauwari realized she was dripping wet. "Uh..." Clovis coughed. "Mind if I ask why you're looking for him?"

Peregrine narrowed her eyes, whipping her head back and forth. "Let's just say that he did something that he shouldn't have," she replied. "And I know he came in here, so where is he?"

Clovis and Kauwari glanced at each other, silently debating about what to do.

"He's under there," they said simultaneously, pointing to the Nightwing's hiding spot. "Thanks boys," Peregrine said, giving the two a smile. Then she advanced on Blackfang. The latter, having sensed the hopelessness of his situation, decided to make a run for it. In a flash, Blackfang bolted for the window, beating his wings as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, Peregrine was a little bit quicker.

"Oh no you don't," she growled. "You haven't taken your punishment yet!" She started dragging Blackfang out the doorway. The Nightwing dug his claws into the rock and held on for dear life, but Peregrine was surprisingly strong for her size. Slowly but surely, Blackfang was losing ground. Nothing could save him now.

"No! You traitors!" He cried. His face was gripped with terror, and he scrabbled desperately for something to hold on to. "How could you do this to me?! Guys are supposed to help each other out!"

"Sorry," Kauwari said. "But I really don't want to end up in the same boat as you."

Both Kauwari and Clovis then turned back to their own business, listening to Blackfang's cries of despair slowly die out. Before long, they were mostly done packing, and the moons had begun to peak in the sky. It was time to set their plan in motion.

"You ready?" Clovis questioned. Kauwari nodded in response. "Map of Ontegal, compass, my diamond..." Kauwari counted stuff off on his talons. "There's nothing else I can think of."

"Alright," Clovis replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Say goodbye to Jade Mountain," he said.

"It may the last time you ever see it."

By the time they were supposed to leave, all the teachers and the rest of the students were asleep.

In Clovis' own words, that was an important part of the plan: sneak out in the dead of night, so they would have time to escape before anyone could catch them.

They would spend all the night flying to Possibility, and then sleep in the morning. At least, everyone besides Clovis would. He was responsible for getting them in contact with his father (although how he would do that was unclear). Hopefully, their plan would go smoothly.

Hopefully.

"Ok, let's see. Tooth brush, toothpaste, blanket, mirror, smoke bombs, throwing knives, daggers..." Kauwari watched as Jasmine checked her bag for the third time. She had packed way more than anyone else, including several things that he thought they would definitely not be needing. 'Is that a crossbow? Where did she get a sword?'

"Hey, Jasmine... Are you sure your going to need all that?" Peregrine questioned.

Immediately, Jasmine jumped up, her eyes wide and jittery. "Of course!" She chirped. "You never know what might happen! Maybe thieves, or assassins, or crazy dragons! You always wanna be prepared!"

She grunted as she heaved the bag up onto her shoulders, earning a few incredulous stares. Wobbling forward, she stretched her wings out, and flapped them up and down. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go!"

Shale twisted into a loop as he jumped into the air. "I like going on adventures," he said cheerfully. "You get to see more of the world that way."

It seemed that Kauwari would be doing a lot of seeing as well. Although unsure if he would like what he would find, it was, admittedly, very interesting. 'I guess that is part of doing new things,' he thought. 'Taking the unknown path and seeing where it leads you.'

Pyrrhia looked so different from Ontegal. He remembered the sheer cliffs of his home, where the Chromawings lived. Their entire city was built into the side of mountain, carved out over hundreds of year until it sprawled across the entire summit. But there were also countless other features, like volcanoes, swamps, even massive underground caverns that spread for miles in the continent's interior.

For once, Kauwari found a glimpse of happiness in those thoughts. He remembered when his mother asked him on his seventh birthday, 'What do you want to do? You must be useful for something.'

Now he knew. Kauwari wanted to explore the world.

But never before had the thought of saving ever crossed his mind.

"Alright! Wake up, wake up, it's time to wake up!"

Kauwari groaned as a shrill voice yelled at him. Rolling over onto his stomach, he flinched as the sun immediately glared in his face, stabbing his eyeballs. He squinted awkwardly, trying to clear his brain of fog.

"Ugh, come on! Five more minutes!" A black dragon next to him yelled back, curling into a tight ball. Apparently Blackfang was as bad a morning dragon as he was.

"We don't have time for this, Blackfang," Peregrine said. She shook the Nightwing softly, and he through his claws over his ears in response. "Besides, I'm hungry."

Kauwari heard a sigh, and then the black ball unfurled itself, revealing Blackfang's annoyed face. "Fine," he groaned. "But this better be important."

The leaves of the tree they had slept under ruffled as Clovis paced over to them. "It is," he said. "I contacted the messenger for the Nightcrawlers, and he said my father is busy right now. So we're going to have to use desperate measures in order to get his attention."

"Desperate measures?" Jasmine yawned. "What's desperate measures?"

Clovis opened and closed his mouth, thinking hard. "Well, I suppose this is definitely more of a question for you guys," he said, pointing at Blackfang, Shale, and Kauwari.

"Tell me, do you guys know how to get in a lot of trouble?"

"Do I!" Shale said, suddenly animated. Kauwari and Blackfang looked at each other, and smirked.

"What exactly do you need done?"


End file.
